


Fool's gold

by Angel1622



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Crying, Desire, Do or Die, Drama, Loss of Control, Mythology References, Nakamaship, Other, Uknown disease
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29287164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Angel1622
Summary: It all started with a box floating on the waves, really.The Strawhats find an ancient treasure, which brings an unknown disease upon them. Time is running away quickly as they try to fight their respective desires. For a certain swordsman and cook, though, things aren't about to turn out so pretty.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	Fool's gold

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!  
> I've been doing some research about mythology and religion throughout the centuries, and decided to mix up some ideas that caught my eye. This work is kind of a crossover of the concept of seven deadly sins (Christianity) and Pandora's Box (Greek mythology). Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Note: I know that religion can be really personal for some people, so if you find this story disturbing, please let me know. My intention is to have fun and some good time with other people in the fandom, but _not_ at the cost of other people's feelings.

_“Those closed inside are to give rise to the immoralities of humanity. For they are the sins against the Holy Spirit, shall they not be forgiven or forgotten. For by offending the Lord’s name, shall their way to the depths of hell be opened. Here are the names of those who cry to heaven for vengeance. Pride. Greed. Lust. Gluttony. Envy. Wrath. Sloth._

_Damned should be those who go against the Son’s teachings and purged should be their filthy desires. They shall confess in the name of God or fall into the depths of hell where Saint Michael the Taxiarch himself shall place them.”_

_~ the Tamakushige, “An Ancient History of Sacred Treasures and Weaponry.”_

* * *

_Why is this happening?_

Zoro pants heavily, his eyes widened as he looks at his hands, stained in blood. It feels as though he’s just woken up from a nightmare. Everything around him is dark. The only rays of moonlight that make it through the window lay themselves on the floorboards, all covered in stains. He feels his throat clench.

_Why the hell is this happening?_

His legs give up under him as he leans his back on the wall, hiding his face in his hands. Those very ones covered in blood. Which he minutes earlier used to fight the goddamn cook, to pin him to the ground, to cover his mouth, to--

“...oro.” A weak voice reaches him from behind his palms. “ _Zoro_.”

He doesn’t have the courage to look at Sanji. He doesn’t know if he’ll have it ever again. After what happened. After what he’s done.

There’s a stab to his chest that almost makes him spit out whatever air there was in his lungs. He lets out a choked sound, struggling to force more oxygen inside him. He clenches his fists, pulling at his hair but it doesn’t ease the pain inside. It can’t compare to what _he_ is feeling.

“Zoro…” Sanji speaks up again, this time a little louder. “Hey, shithead… look at me.”

Zoro reluctantly looks up, eyes still widened in shock and burning. He trails over his friend’s battered and exposed body and winces at the sight. Sanji slowly gets up on his elbows, eyes half-closed as he struggles to stay awake. There’s a thin trail of bloodied saliva dripping down his chin. Zoro doesn’t even want to think there’s another option. That there’s--

“Are you all right?” Sanji whispers, looking at him tiredly. “Is… is it gone?”

_Why are you asking me this?_

He nods sharply, fingers digging deeper into his scalp. His friend lets out a sigh of relief, the corner of his lips going up in a subtle smirk.

_Why the hell are you smiling like nothing happened?_

Zoro turns back to staring into the floor, suddenly overwhelmed by the pressure crushing his chest. He keeps breathing heavily as his eye slowly fills up with tears. It’s been a long time since he cried, a long time since he’s felt torn apart from the inside. He feels them running down his cheeks, leaving warm trails over his face.

“Hey, shitty swordsman.” Sanji tries to catch his attention, slowly moving closer, holding back pained hisses. “Hey, it’s fine, you idiot. It’s all over now”

_How can you talk like it’s nothing? Like you’re not in pain? Like none of it matters to you?_

“It’s okay now, you hear me?” The cook's calm voice reaches Zoro as though from afar. He can’t stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks nor the loud sobs that make it out of his throat. “Zoro, hey, _hey_ . I’m okay, I swear. Calm down. It’s fine. It’s _fine,_ mosshead.”

_How do you call yourself all right? How can you even look at me? How?_

Zoro’s thoughts stop as he feels the cook’s arms wrap around him in a weak embrace. He fights the urge to flinch, to push Sanji away and tell him not to get close. Instead, he submits to his friend’s touch, slowly reaching his shaky hands and gently running them through the golden hair, stained with copper red and clinging to Sanji’s scalp. 

“I… I’m--” he tries to choke out, but no words can make it out of him as he sobs, burying his face in his friend’s hair and letting his tears flow down. Sanji only huffs, the embrace tightening subtly.

“ _Shh_ .” He whispers soothingly. “It’s okay, Zoro. Just hold on to me. It’s not your fault. Hey, it’s _not_ your fault. I’m fine, I’m okay. It’s okay, it’s over.”

_Why do you make it sound like it’s not my fault? Why do you take all the blame upon yourself?_

The scent of Sanji’s cologne hits Zoro’s nose, muted by the overwhelming metallic scent of blood. By the scent of sweat and fear and fury. By the smell of vomit and-- he draws in a sharp breath, his stomach turning again. He delicately untangles the strands of golden hair stuck with blood, too afraid to touch his friend any harder.

He tries to speak, but his vocal cords don’t seem to work.It’s too much of a shock, his throat is clenched tightly, blocking out any words. All he can do is to let the tears flow, letting out pained noises that should mean _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry._

“ _Breathe_ , idiot.” Sanji says softly, exhaustion taking the better of him. “Let it go. It’s all right now. It’s _all right_ …”

_Why don’t you kick me in the face and tell me how much you really hate me? Why?_

* * *

Zoro didn’t sign up for this shit.

No, really. He _didn’t_ sign up for any of this. His eye slides to Nami’s flushed face as she leans on her Clima Tact, pressing her forehead to the cool metal. Standing next to her, Zoro can clearly see the exhaustion in her eyes and pose. She’s a strong woman, but whatever shit it is, it’s taking its toll on her.

On one hand, he knew it was _the_ New World, but something like this… it’s sick.

“All right, let me think.” She says weakly, nodding her head at Robin, who’s sitting in the shadow of Sunny’s sail with two paper scrolls in her ink-stained arms. Zoro notices with a little concern that the woman _wouldn’t_ normally get her forearms covered in dark spots.

“As I said, navigator-san.” Robin says, sprouting a hand from the mast and handing Nami a white page covered in some complicated signs. “That’s all I’ve found about our mysterious chest. It’s a pretty old script, too.”

Nami nods hesitantly, taking the page and reading its content out loud for all of them to hear.

“Those closed inside are to give rise to the immoralities of humanity.” She starts, frowning subtly. “For they are the sins against the Holy Spirit, shall they not be forgiven or forgotten. For by offending the Lord’s name, shall their way to the depths of hell be opened... “ Her head raises as she exchanges looks with Robin. “What is this?”

“It seems as though we’ve found a treasure of a great religious power.” The other woman explains, closing her eyes. _“The Tamakushige._ That's how the author of the scroll refers to it. I’m afraid that whoever this chest belonged to put a lot of faith in its might.”

“Does that mean we’re cursed now?” Luffy cocks his head to the side, putting a hand over his stomach. “I’m hungry. Is that how cursed people feel?”

“You’re _cursed_?” Chopper frowns, rushing towards the captain and eyeing him up. “Oh, no, Luffy! Please don’t be cursed! I don’t want you to die, don’t die! Is there a doctor on board, we need a doctor--”

“Huh?” The captain raises his eyebrows. “But you’re the doctor, Chopper.”

“Ah, you’re right!”

“You’re a funny guy sometimes, you know?” Luffy only chuckles, quickly silenced by the tip of Nami’s Clima Tact smacking him across the head.

“It’s not the time to be joking, idiots.” She says, without the usual anger. Zoro’s skin crawls at the realisation she’s too tired and sick to even raise her voice at the captain. “We’ve got a real problem here.”

“Navigator-san is right.” Robin nods subtly, taking a deep breath. “Please continue.”

“Here are the names of those who cry to heaven for vengeance.” She hesitates, looking around the crew. “Pride. Greed. Lust. Gluttony. Envy. Wrath. Sloth. That’s everything we’ve got.”

A moment of silence passes. Zoro’s eye narrows subtly as he thinks about his friend’s words. He’s not too susceptible to the poison or drug or whatever shit it is thanks to his quick metabolism, but he can clearly see Nami isn’t doing as well. Robin too, probably, although she’s pretty good at playing it off cool.

They have to get out of this quickly.

“Are you sure there’s nothing more about it, Nami?” Chopper asks. “So it’s a dead end? Oh, no, it _is_ a dead end!”

“You’re wrong, doctor-san.” Robin says calmly, although her voice comes out a little strained. Zoro quickly glances at her, noticing the faint blush on her cheeks. “There’s actually one more part I have yet to decipher. It’s a very old language, unused by centuries, so it will take time, but I reckon we can learn something important from it.”

“Really? That's a relief.” The little doctor smiles widely, letting out a short sigh. “I’ve already examined your blood samples, everyone, but it’s something I’ve never seen before. I’ll do my best to get to the bottom of this, so please, try not to die in the meantime.”

“No one’s dying on my watch!” Usopp suddenly exclaims, and it’d be a lie to say he doesn’t at least _look_ concerned. “I’ve told you countless times, Chopper. The Great Captain Usopp won’t let anyone on this ship bite the dust!”

The reindeer looks up.

“He won’t?” He asks hesitantly.

“Of course not.” A long trail of smoke follows the cook as he walks to Chopper and pats his head. “But you wouldn’t let us stay sick for too long either, would you?”

“Thanks, Sanji.” The reindeer smiles, his eyes lighting up.

The cook doesn’t stop smiling after the little doctor heads to his medical bay, but the swordsman notices how his eyes go blank. Zoro has seen that look a couple of times already, and he immediately knows the dartbrow is also slowly giving up to the shit inside their veins. Even if he refuses to let it show.

Something inside of him whispers to stand up and start a fight with the guy, but Zoro resists it with a quiet hiss.

* * *

It all started with a mysterious box floating upon the calm waves, really. All it took was a fucking locked piece of wood fished from the ocean. Nothing more, nothing less.

Naturally, Luffy was the first one to spot it, and since they’re _pirates_ and the small chest was the spitting image of the common image of _a treasure_ , any attempts to stop the captain from getting his hands on the vessel and trying to open it were futile from the very beginning.

Not that anyone tried, really. Even Usopp’s sudden _I-can’t-open-that-unknown-chest_ disease strangely didn’t seem to kick in. He surely was the Brave Warrior of the Sea. _Or the Most Foolish Warrior,_ Zoro likes to think bitterly now.

The lock definitely looked sophisticated and everything, but as it quickly turned out, the infamous Cat Burglar hasn’t earned her name for nothing. In spite of Luffy’s head and hands getting into the way all the time, Nami managed to get rid of the padlock in a matter of a few minutes.

Well, if only the swordsman noticed the subtle frown on Robin’s face at the time, perhaps none of that would be happening.

_“Come on, Nami! Open it already! I can’t wait to see what’s inside!”_

_“Just give me a moment of peace, damn it! I’m trying, all right?”_

_“But you’re the best navigator in the world! What’s taking you so long?”_

_“It doesn’t quite work this way!”_

Once the padlock gave up with a subtle _creak_ , all of them leaned over the box. Zoro himself never really paid much attention to treasure hunting or whatever pirate attributes there were, but still - an old mystery box floating in the middle of the ocean wasn’t just some boring, buried chest of gold.

“Whoa, it’s opened!” Luffy grinned widely, looking over the navigator’s shoulder with widened eyes. “Come on, Nami, open it already!”

“All right, just get off me for a moment!” She huffed, her eyes turning to the chest. “I wonder what kind of treasure is inside~”

Zoro only smirked, watching the two of them. They hadn’t changed much since the day he first came across them. Despite all the battles they fought and the enemies they defeated, Luffy was still the careless captain, and Nami was still a married-to-gold, cunning witch. It had been a long time since they had a chance to actually seek treasures like pirates should instead of fighting off the Marines, Seven Warlords or other troublesome people.

The first indicator that something, in fact, was wrong, was the moment Nami decided to lift up the chest’s lid.

Instead of a pile of gold and jewels, maybe some old scrolls and books, they expected, the box turned out to be empty. Well, _almost_ empty, as a cloud of dark, suffocating smoke flew out of it as soon as the tiniest gap was made. The swordsman instinctively urged to step back from the chest. 

It was already too late.

As he drew in a shallow breath, the world started spinning. He cursed, pressing a hand to his temple and trying to shake off the feeling. Holding in the air in his lungs, he tried to find a place safe from the dark cloud, but it looked like the whole deck was covered in the black mist. _Shit._

“Don’t breathe this gas in!” Chopper’s voice made it out to them, but Zoro knew they’d already inhaled more than enough of the substance. He watched Franky secure Robin’s fall as the archaeologist suddenly collapsed and how the shitty cook’s knees buckled under him.

 _The cook’s legs giving up._ Usually, the thought would surely provoke a cocky comment from the swordsman, but at the moment all he could think of was how fucked they were. Whatever drug was inside that box, it was potent. And spreading around their bodies way too quickly.

“Zoro-san!” The swordsman felt a bony hand clench around his shoulder. “Quickly, we all need to get to the lower deck.”

Luffy was hanging limply on Nami’s arm, and the navigator’s eyes were half-closed as she looked around blankly. Zoro took a step in their direction, urging to drag their captain out of that mist, but a sharp spasm of pain stopped him midway. Black spots blurred his vision as the floor rushed to meet him.

Sounds of Brook and Chopper running around the deck and calling the crew’s names reached him as though from behind a wall. He couldn’t help but feel lightheaded as more of the poisoned air flew into his lungs.

Soon, everything turned black.

* * *

“...oro? Zoro? Zoro!” 

Someone kept calling his name. The swordsman slowly cracked an eye open, grunting lowly as the light stabbed him. He waited a moment before moving his head around to see what was happening. Soon, a vessel was pressed to his mouth.

“Drink this.” Chopper’s hoof and antlers made it into his vision. “You’ll get better.”

Without thinking much, Zoro obeyed the little doctor, wincing subtly when the cold liquid ran down his throat. Although the experience wasn’t very pleasant, he soon started to feel the drowsiness fade away, his thoughts and senses sharpening.

“What the hell happened, Chopper?” He asked, pressing a hand to his forehead and sitting up. The others were already on their feet, looking like they'd just earned a blow to their heads or at least partied a little too hard the previous night.

“There was this gas, and all of you suddenly started losing consciousness,” Chopper explained, leaning over him and handing him another cup of the beverage. “Brook and I tried to take you out of the cloud, but it covered Sunny's deck completely, so then we tried to get you _inside_. It also didn’t work, and then we--”

“You’ve all stayed in that state of dreaming for a long time.” Brook interrupted him, his bony silhouette and afro away from Zoro’s vision. “And just when the gas finally faded away, you started waking up one after another.”

“It’s almost as though it was that haze that kept you unconscious.” Chopper nodded, frowning. “How are you feeling, Zoro? Is there anything that hurts you? Are you nauseous? Sick? Please be all right, I don’t want you to--”

“My head hurts a little.” He said quickly, sitting up and looking around. “Other than that, ‘m fine.”

“That’s great!” The little doctor nodded. “Robin’s already gone into the library to find out more about that chest. I’m sure she’ll figure this out, but for now I’ll need to take a blood sample from you.”

Zoro hummed quietly, breathing in the clean air and waiting for Chopper to return. He didn’t even wince when the needle was injected into his skin, what occupied his mind was the dark gas from earlier. Things like those didn’t just pop out of nowhere. Also, the thing got all of them knocked out in a matter of _seconds._ If anything like that happened on the battlefield, they'd all be long dead.

He wouldn’t let that happen the next time. In order to protect his crew, his _family_ \- he had to get stronger.

* * *

Things turned out to be a little easier said than done, actually.

It also only then occurred to Zoro that the events from the previous few hours didn’t leave his body or spirit untouched. Lifting weights didn’t come to him as easily as always. He had problems trying to catch his breath, and his muscles were shaking with every attempt to put pressure on him. _Holy shit._

Frustrated, he casted his swords and the weights aside, settling in the middle of the crow’s nest and trying to calm his mind down. It was actually the second time the dark, suffocating gas from earlier was, in fact, still having an impact on him.

First of all, he couldn’t concentrate. Couldn’t even clear his mind to begin with. Everything around him seemed to have made subtle noises with every second, catching his attention and turning it away from seeking inner peace. Not only was it disturbing, but also quite frustrating.

Second - and probably worse - whenever he actually _managed_ to somehow reach the state of zen, even his breath and relax his muscles, his mind started travelling towards the memories of fights he’d fought. Every enemy he’d defeated. Every thug that had fallen under his strength.

Among all those faces, there was also someone he fought countless times, someone that shouldn’t even be there because Zoro and him weren’t, per se, hostiles. Namely, _the shitty cook_.

With a quiet groan, the swordsman got up from the floor, heading towards the entrance to the room. If he couldn’t train or even think in peace in that damned nest, he could as well use some fresh air and nap on the front deck. And perhaps get his mind off the tempting vision of slaughter and picking up a fight.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only one who felt a little.. _odd_ since the incident. Well, at least that was what he thought. Nami claimed to have felt unwell, Luffy walked around the deck with his head hung low, constantly repeating that he’s hungry, and Franky spent the bigger part of the afternoon laying in Sunny’s grass, only to head to the men’s quarters later.

Something was _wrong_.

Eventually, it was Robin who went to the ship’s library in order to search through her scrolls. Although it took longer than Zoro expected, the woman finally came back with an old piece of paper and a page of her own writing.

Which was precisely how they ended up in the awkward silence that falls upon the deck as Robin goes off to her room with the last part of the script in hand. Zoro lets out a quiet groan, sitting down and leaning his back on the railing. His body feels weaker than he remembers it to, and there’s a very subtle, yet growing in intensity, ringing in his head.

“Okay, then, everyone.” Brook claps his hands, trying to cheer them up with a smile. _As though a skeleton’s smile could keep anyone’s morals high._ If anything, it looks creepy. “While Robin is doing her best, we should pay attention to what we already have.” 

“You’re right.” Nami nods, examining the page in front of her with narrowed eyes. “There’s seven of the sins listed here. Also, if we exclude Brook and Chopper from the crew,” her eyes slide over the deck. “There’s seven of us.”

“So, what you’re trying to tell us is that we’ve all got… infected with one of those so-called _sins_?” Usopp frowns, crossing his arms. “I’m not so sure, Nami. How the hell would that gas split into seven equal parts and then choose exactly seven people? It’s not half as convincing as some of my most irrational stories, you know?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous.” Nami retorts. “But it’s the New World. Remember how many irrational or abstract things we’ve encountered since we sailed through the Grand Line?”

“Moreover, I think there’s a good reason why Brook and Chopper are all right.” She continues after Usopp hesitates. “Think of it. Those closed inside are to give rise to the immoralities of _humanity_. If we follow that path…”

“I see!” Usopp smiles, clapping his hands. “They’re not a part of the _humanity_ the scroll mentions. That makes sense!”

“Of course it does.” Sanji throws nonchalantly, letting an unlit cigarette hang loosely between his lips. “That’s what you’d expect from Nami-san, idiot.”

“So, all we have to do is figure out who-wants-what?” Zoro muffles a yawn, looking around them. “This is going to be a piece of cake, then.”

* * *

_Damned should be those who go against the Son’s teachings and purged should be their filthy desires. They shall confess in the name of God or fall into the depths of hell where Saint Michael the Taxiarch himself shall place them._

Zoro can’t help cocking an eyebrow as Robin reads the text out loud. He’s not, and - truth be known - has never been the most religious person. Even now, a part of him refuses to believe what’s happening to them is a craft of some supernatural force.

Still, God or not, if his family’s being threatened, he can’t just shrug it off. Whatever those _sins_ or the goddamn chest are, they’ve got to have some nerve to mess with the Strawhats.

“Oh, so it’s that simple then?” Usopp leans over Nami’s shoulder, eyes skimming through the page. “Well, we’ve already said everything out loud, so technically, we should be fine?”

They’re not fine, he especially. Zoro notices how Usopp’s skin crawls whenever a stronger blow of wind rocks the Sunny. _Hyperaesthesia._ His hands are also a little shaky, something unusual or a man of craft or the ship’s sharpshooter. But like all warriors, Usopp has his pride that won’t let him admit something’s wrong in a situation like this.

“I believe the _confession_ that’s mentioned here is related to some sort of a ritual.” Robin speaks up. She doesn’t only _look_ ill now - it’s that subtle sloppiness in the way she moves and speaks that has no right to match her usual sharp precision. “Purging the spirit used to be a practice common for most ancient religions.”

“But there’s nothing about it here.” Usopp notices, frowning. “We don’t even know how this religion works, much less perform _an actual ritual_. Even I, the Great Captain Usopp, who once fought a whole choir of priests in a rap battle of--”

“We surely know nothing about performing those rites.” Robin hums, crossing her arms. “That’s why I reckon we can’t quite _confess_ our sins.”

“What are you implying?” Zoro asks, tilting his head to the side and taking a deep breath. Robin’s eyes go a shade darker as she glances at him.

“According to the script, swordsman-san,” She says calmly, the atmosphere around them suddenly tensing. “Is that we shall _fall into the depths of hell._ ”

“Wait, Robin…” Usopp waves his hands, his voice a little strained. “You don’t mean… we’re going to die?”

“It’s possible, yes.” Robin nods her head slowly. “Although I have another hypothesis. According to what we already know about this religion, those who submit to the sins are going to be damned by its God. They shall be sent to hell by one of his servants.” There’s a subtle frown on the woman’s face as she explains. “But it seems to be our only option.”

“Going to hell and back?” Zoro smirks, narrowing his eyes. He feels excitement run through his veins, even though it’s probably only provoked by the gas. “I like the sound of it.”

“Are you sure about it, Robin-chan?” Sanji asks, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “It sounds dangerous. I don’t mind if the shitty swordsman goes to hell willingly, but I’d hate something to happen to you or Nami-san.”

“I don’t like the idea of it, too.” Robin nods, concern painted over her face. “But I can’t think about any other way out. What we’re sure of, our condition is getting steadily worse. We should probably try to get rid of this curse while we still have the strength.”

“If so, this should be easy.” Nami says, her eyes lighting up. “Think about it, if all that Luffy needs is a pile of food, and Franky is already resting, it can’t be this hard--”

She stops suddenly as her eyes stop on Sanji. He quickly notices her worried expression and puts on a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be fine, Nami-san.” He says with a soothing voice. “There’s no way this thing is going to work on me.”

 _Liar,_ Zoro thinks as his eyes trail over his friend’s silhouette, already noticing the first signs of sickness kicking in. 

Matching the crew to their _sins_ \- Zoro couldn’t verbally explain how much hated that name - went pretty quickly. Chopper and Brook were out of the God’s - whatever he was - jurisdiction, so they were right out. Franky hadn’t been seen anywhere the whole day, so they put him at _sloth_ as a start.

Luffy didn’t really say anything besides that he was hungry, so the crew quickly agreed to writing his name next to _gluttony_ . Nami sighed when Usopp almost immediately voted for assigning her to _greed_. Whether it was his guess or the decision had been influenced by the woman running through his belongings and increasing their debts, Zoro couldn’t tell.

The sniper himself needed a moment to spit _envy_ through grit teeth. Probably because he didn’t want Chopper to hear that his idol - Great Captain Usopp - could, in fact, feel jealousy towards anyone else. Zoro smirked at the thought, the image of Sogeking’s mask suddenly coming up in his mind. Along with the urge to fight the guy, which he immediately shook off.

It took him a moment to decide whether he felt enraged or just willing to stroke his ego, but ultimately, he decided to go for the latter. The choice was later confirmed by Robin, who admitted to having been feeling a little more irritated and annoyed than usually.

The cook, though? Well, the bastard drew the short straw. _Lust._

“Don’t worry, everyone!” Chopper says, looking up at them. “I’ve already found out what this thing was! It’s works similar to a virus, and it’s spreading through your bodies really quickly. I think it attacks the nervous system, making your bodies go into a feverish state until your brain receives specific signals.”

“So you’ve cracked it?” Nami smiles brightly at the little doctor, her eyes sparkling. “You’re amazing, Chopper!”

“There’s more.” Chopper frowns subtly, although the blush that comes up on his cheeks doesn’t go unnoticed. “As I said, it's spreading really fast. It’s a matter of hours, perhaps a day, before your immune systems will mutate and start fighting your own cells and blood components.”

He stops for a moment, lowering his head and clenching his hooves into what would’ve been tiny fists if he wasn't in his Brain Point.

“What is it, Chopper?” Usopp asks, taking a step towards the doctor. “If you already know how this thing works and how to fight it, we should be all ri--”

“I won’t be able to produce enough of the antibodies in time.” Chopper cuts him off, his voice so quiet and full of regret and different than it usually is that even Zoro raises his eyebrows.

A moment of silence passes before the little doctor speaks up again.

“I’ve already started preparing the first portions of it, but it’s a very complicated and slow process.” He explains. “With more ingredients and equipment - if we had an island to dock on, for example - then _maybe_ I’d be able to make enough for all of you, but right now, it’s impossible. A dose or two is all I’ll be able to give you. I’m so sorry!”

For a moment, no one dares to move. Dread settles in the pit of Zoro’s stomach as he realises that the will, eventually, have to _choose_ who’s going to get the antidote to the poison and who’ll have to--

“There’s no need to be sorry, silly.” Sanji suddenly walks up to the doctor, kneeling besides him with a smile and poking at his nose gently. “Think about it. You have - what - a basic ship’s equipment, a disease you know nothing about, and yet you only need an hour or less to come up with a way to make the antibodies. If anything, I’d say you should be proud of yourself.”

“The shitty cook’s right.” Zoro nods slowly, huffing. “We’ll be fine, Chopper. We’ll all give it our best and beat that shit, just like we always do.”

“Sanji, Zoro…” Chopper looks at them bewildered before his eyes sparkle with tears. “Thank you.”

“You dumbass!” Usopp finally plucks up the courage to speak again. “You really thought we’d be mad? I couldn’t be more proud to have such a smart doctor on the crew! Back when I conquered the Four Blues, I knew no medic that would face such a mysterious disease!”

“Right.” Nami also smiles warmly, patting the doctor’s head. “You’re amazing, Chopper!”

The reindeer blinks a couple of times, choking back the tears and quickly putting on a determined face. Zoro smirks at the little performance of Chopper’s self-confidence and courage, following his friend with his eyes as he heads to the sick bay with a determined expression on his face.

“Hey, Chopper.” Luffy’s calm voice cuts through the air, making the doctor stop in his tracks. Zoro’s eyes turn to the captain, eyebrow raising when he notices he’s taken off his straw hat. “We’re counting on you.”

For a few seconds, Chopper stays there, at Sunny’s door, simply staring at their captain with an unreadable expression. Moments later, he turns around rapidly and slams the door behind him. Zoro bites back a chuckle. _Dumbass,_ he thinks, closing his eye, _You surely did look happy_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm open to feedback, ~~(mostly because I'm not quite sure if I was able to portray the whole concept in a way that's understandable)~~ stay strong and hopefully I'll see you soon! o////o


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